Several U.S. tarotists brought attention to a black and white tarot deck, privately published by
the artist, Michael Goepferd. The deck is called Contrast Deck because of its very strong black and
white contrasts, and it is only made in an extremely limited edition of 120 copies.
Let me put it straight: you will do yourself a favor if your hurry up and get hold of a set before
they are all gone; there is long stretch between artistic tarot publications of this kind! Michael
Goepferd's deck is a set of 78 tarot images made by linoleum cut block print technique. It is not
a deck which is easily skimmed through and then placed in a drawer, like the majority of the decks
I acquire. Goepferd's deck demands time to be examined, inspected, absorbed and gain insight from.
This done, it will be an appreciated piece, if your feelings and understanding of it are like mine.
The Contrast Deck is printed on plain white cardboard and the outer appearance is more that of a set
of prints, than a deck of cards. Each card is 99 x 100 millimeters and the illustration is surrounded
by a white border, which in this (rare) case emphasizes the image. There are no titles nor numbers
printed on the cards, so you need to have some basic knowledge of tarot symbolism to identify the
single cards. To do that is, due to the many cards, in itself is an exiting exercise, even though not
extremely difficult. The tarot symbolism in the deck is not twisted, but follows the tarot tradition.
Knowledge of the basic tarot images and of the Pamela Colman Smith minors is, however, needed to
identify the entire deck. Yet Goepferd's deck is not another Smith plagiate, Pamela's images have
been an inspiring impulse for a very personal series of minors and Goepferd's minors are not, as we
have seen it in an overwhelming number of cases, simple re-drawings of Pamela's art. Goepferd's art
is very personal and a contemporary artist's commentaries to those fundamental situations of life,
that are depicted in the tarot. We can see, that Goepferd's world is not always the happy carefree
life, that so many tarot designers attempt to impose on us. There is much suffering to be found.
Such powerful artistic commentaries from early painters like Holbein and Dürer have survived through
centuries; we do not know what will happen in the future but Goepferd's deck looks to me like a survivor.
For a practicing tarotist, this is a deck to gain insight from; for a tarot art collector it is a
must, which is even available for a utmost reasonable price, the limited edition taken into
consideration.
Several U.S. tarotists brought attention to a black and white tarot deck, privately published by
the artist, Michael Goepferd. The deck is called Contrast Deck because of its very strong black and
white contrasts, and it is only made in an extremely limited edition of 120 copies.
Let me put it straight: you will do yourself a favor if your hurry up and get hold of a set before
they are all gone; there is long stretch between artistic tarot publications of this kind! Michael
Goepferd's deck is a set of 78 tarot images made by linoleum cut block print technique. It is not
a deck which is easily skimmed through and then placed in a drawer, like the majority of the decks
I acquire. Goepferd's deck demands time to be examined, inspected, absorbed and gain insight from.
This done, it will be an appreciated piece, if your feelings and understanding of it are like mine.
The Contrast Deck is printed on plain white cardboard and the outer appearance is more that of a set
of prints, than a deck of cards. Each card is 99 x 100 millimeters and the illustration is surrounded
by a white border, which in this (rare) case emphasizes the image. There are no titles nor numbers
printed on the cards, so you need to have some basic knowledge of tarot symbolism to identify the
single cards. To do that is, due to the many cards, in itself is an exiting exercise, even though not
extremely difficult. The tarot symbolism in the deck is not twisted, but follows the tarot tradition.
Knowledge of the basic tarot images and of the Pamela Colman Smith minors is, however, needed to
identify the entire deck. Yet Goepferd's deck is not another Smith plagiate, Pamela's images have
been an inspiring impulse for a very personal series of minors and Goepferd's minors are not, as we
have seen it in an overwhelming number of cases, simple re-drawings of Pamela's art. Goepferd's art
is very personal and a contemporary artist's commentaries to those fundamental situations of life,
that are depicted in the tarot. We can see, that Goepferd's world is not always the happy carefree
life, that so many tarot designers attempt to impose on us. There is much suffering to be found.
Such powerful artistic commentaries from early painters like Holbein and Dürer have survived through
centuries; we do not know what will happen in the future but Goepferd's deck looks to me like a survivor.
For a practicing tarotist, this is a deck to gain insight from; for a tarot art collector it is a
must, which is even available for a utmost reasonable price, the limited edition taken into
consideration.